With time on his hands in a Genoa jail, prisoner of war Marco Polo dictated the chronicle of his travels across that stretch of Eurasia from Venice to China later named the “Silk Road.” His record of that trip through inhospitable deserts and treacherous mountain passes may have been embellished, but it definitely opened a huge, exotic window onto other cultures, religions and art forms.
Known for its radical politics, from my chair, Northampton is far too conservative in its arts. However, when Consentino shows in this Western Massachusetts town, she rattles the dust off the pretty pictures of the Valley Realists and offers us a breath of fresh air.
Founded in 1998, the non-profit has an ensemble of